By Howard Tsumura
Varsity Letters
LANGLEY TOWNSHIP — The Tsumura Basketball Invitational turns 15 years old this December, and that’s enough time that our traditional weeks on the B.C. boys and girls senior basketball calendar have put down some pretty deep roots.
This coming December, however, the dates of the boys and the girls have been moved ahead one week, and thus Varsity Letters wanted to let all of those coaches emailing to request spots to know the actual dates we will all be dealing with.
The boys tournament will be played Dec. 9-12, 2026.
The girls tournament will be played Dec. 16-19, 2026.
Although there are many teams still waiting for an opportunity to play in TBI 2026, if you are interested in applying for one of our two boys or girls Super and Select 16 pools, you can email howardtsumura@gmail.com.
Please tell me about your team, specifically how much of your senior roster this season will return and what their general roles were this season. As well, please tell me how your junior team played this season, and how that rising group of players will impact your 2026-27 roster. This is information not meant for publication.
You can give me as much information as you like, as if we are able to accommodate your team, it helps us determine which of the two pools you are better suited to be placed in.
As well, I have noted to the Langley Events Centre organizing staff that over the past few years, that a small number of coaches who have not received invitations have in turn not treated the news well.
The make-up of the Super 16 draw is to put the top 16 teams in the province in one pool, with the thought that when a smaller-tiered school is showing a fast-rising upside and the ability to compete, that they be given ample consideration. This was the case this season with the senior girls team from Vernon which played in the Super 16 TBI pool in December and then on Saturday won the B.C. Triple-A title.
The make-up of the Select 16 pool is not simply for teams that are deemed just shy. The intent here is largely to put together another field of 16 teams from programs that have been building towards contention, to teams that are peaking within their program’s recent history and yet are not normally getting exposure in bigger tournaments. It’s never cut-and-dried but we try the best that we can.
We still want the best teams for Super 16, and in some years those traditionally tough programs will have their low ebbs. It is then that I have to make a tough decision. And it’s in those moments that I hope you will be able to meet my decision with gracious acceptance.
It is an honour to have the Langley Events Centre stage these two weeks of tournaments each year under the TBI banner, and I feel strongly that with that privilege comes the responsibility of first providing as even a level of competition as we can in each pool, and second, when it makes sense to extend the opportunity to deserving teams outside the spotlight, that they also get a chance to play in the same building where tomorrow’s 80th annual B.C. senior boys basketball championship will tip off.
Yours in basketball
Howard Tsumura
